Getting Disability for Loss of Peripheral Vision (Visual Field)

Talk to a Disability Lawyer

If you have extremely poor peripheral
vision, you may qualify as being legally blind and be eligible for Social Security
disability benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA
details how much of a decrease in your peripheral vision you must have for it
to qualify as a disability that prevents you from working, and thus makes you
eligible for disability benefits. To be considered for disability under peripheral
vision loss, you will need to have a visual field test, which is not part of a
routine eye examination.

Peripheral vision is often decreased as a result of glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa (RP),
and other types of peripheral retinal disease. In addition, strokes, brain
tumors, and trauma to the brain can cause hemianopia, a specific type of
peripheral vision loss where half of the visual field is visible. If you have
any of these conditions, your doctor should do a visual field test. Loss in
peripheral vision can occur along with or independently of central
visual acuity loss (how well you can see straight ahead).

Social Security Requirements for Visual Field Loss

The
SSA's "blue book" of impairment listings states the requirements for being
granted disability benefits for a contraction (decrease) of your visual field (the
official term for peripheral vision). First, the SSA requires a physical
examination by an ophthalmologist or optometrist for a visual field efficiency test.

Visual Field Test

A visual field test (perimetry)
is painless and simple. The doctor will use a perimeter,
either an automated Humphrey Field Analyzer or Octopus, or a
manual Goldmann perimeter. You don’t have to have your eyes dilated, so
no drops are necessary. During the test, you put your chin on a chinrest and
look straight ahead into a machine. Every time you notice a flash of light
somewhere in your field of vision, you click a button. Sometimes, the
lights are bright, and sometimes they are dim. They occur randomly all
around and sometimes are close to the center to make sure you are
concentrating.

As you respond during the test, your results are mapped according to the location
and intensity of the flashes of light, to measure the scope of your vision. The
test measures how many degrees you can see from a central point of fixation.

Visual Field Efficiency Standard

To meet the SSA’s required severity for
contraction (decrease) of visual fields (listing 2.03), you must have test results
that equal one of the following, in the better eye:

visual field efficiency of 20% or
less

widest diameter of the visual field no
more than 20 degrees from the point of fixation, or

If you have good peripheral vision
in one eye, you won’t qualify for disability benefits.

Visual Efficiency

If you don’t qualify for disability benefits
under contraction of visual fields (poor peripheral vision) alone, you might be able to qualify if you
are also nearsighted (that is, if you have poor visual acuity). Visual
efficiency is a percentage that combines both your visual field efficiency (peripheral
vision) and your central visual acuity (straight-ahead vision). The SSA is
interested in your visual efficiency in your better eye only.

To determine your percentage of
visual efficiency, you’ll need to know your visual acuity (for example, 20/50)
in your better eye. Next, your visual acuity must be converted to a percentage,
called your central visual efficiency, according to the approximations in the chart
below:

Visual Acuity

Central Visual Efficiency

20/150

32%

20/125

40%

20/100

50%

20/80

60%

20/70

63%

20/60

67%

20/50

75%

20/40

85%

20/30

91%

20/25

95%

You multiply your percentage of
central visual efficiency (straight-ahead vision) by your percentage of visual field efficiency (peripheral vision) to come
up with a combined percentage for overall visual efficiency. For instance, if
your visual acuity is 20/100 in your better eye, that’s 50% central visual
efficiency. If your visual field efficiency is 40%, you would multiply 50%
times 40% to come up with a combined visual efficiency of 20%.

To meet the SSA’s published standard
for loss of visual efficiency (listing 2.04), the visual efficiency in your
better eye, after best correction, must be 20% or worse.

Vision Loss Affecting Your Functional Capacity

If you don’t qualify for disability
benefits under the SSA’s requirements for poor visual acuity, decrease in
visual fields (peripheral vision), or a combination of the two, as the next
part of the disability determination process, the SSA is required to consider
the effect of your peripheral vision loss (and any other symptoms) on your
capacity to do daily activities and your regular work. If you can’t do your
regular job, the SSA will then determine whether there is any kind of work you
could do. For more information, see our article on disability
benefits for reduced visual functioning.

Starting a Disability Claim for Vision Loss

Call the SSA at 800-772-1213 to set
up an appointment to fill out an application for disability (SSI and/or SSDI).
When you fill out your application, include both how your loss of peripheral vision
affects your life outside of work and how it impairs your ability to work.

If you meet the SSA’s listing, above, for contraction of
visual fields, you are considered legally blind. In some states, legally blind
applicants receive a higher state supplement to their SSI payment than nonblind
disabled people. In addition, you can work and receive up to $1,820 per month (in
2015) and still receive disability benefits without your work being considered substantial
gainful activity (SGA) by the SSA (this is higher than the limit of $1,090 per
month that applies to nonblind disabled workers).